Christchurch Airport surprises a milestone passenger

Christchurch reached a
significant post-quake milestone today, with its airport welcoming
the six-millionth passenger in a year.

The last time Christchurch
Airport reached the 6-million passenger mark was in October 2010,
but today as Stephanie Simmons from Waimate checked in for a
Jetstar flight to Auckland to celebrate her daughter's birthday,
she became a lucky statistic.

Airport Chief Executive
Malcolm Johns was on hand to congratulate Stephanie and present her
with flowers and champagne, as well as $600 to pay for the short
break she was about to take.

"We review our passenger
statistics weekly and could see a couple of weeks ago that we were
close to reclaiming the six million figure over a rolling year," Mr
Johns says.

"Today is that day and
undoubtedly a significant milestone for our airport, our city and
our island. As well as the purely statistical milestone, it
reminds us that this airport remains the number one gateway to the
South Island for international visitors and to the world for South
Islanders.

"This is great news for every
region across the South Island because around 84% of international
visitors who arrive into Christchurch go on to visit other regions
in the South Island, driving an industry that supports more than
60,000 regional jobs."